Manufacturing method for monolithic ceramic electronic component

ABSTRACT

In a manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component, a plurality of green chips arrayed in row and column directions which are obtained after cutting a mother block are spaced apart from each other and then tumbled, thereby uniformly making the side surface of each of the green chips an open surface. Thereafter, an adhesive is applied to the side surface. Then, by placing a side surface ceramic green sheet on an affixation elastic body, and pressing the side surface of the green chips against the side surface ceramic green sheet, the side surface ceramic green sheet is punched and stuck to the side surface.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/418,467, filed Mar. 13, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,795,454.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a monolithicceramic electronic component, and more specifically, to a method forforming a protective area at the side of internal electrodes in amonolithic ceramic electronic component.

2. Description of the Related Art

A monolithic ceramic capacitor exists as an example of a monolithicceramic electronic component to which the present invention is directed.To manufacture a monolithic ceramic capacitor, typically, a step asillustrated in FIGS. 21A and 21B is performed. That is, a first ceramicgreen sheet 3 on which a first internal electrode 1 is formed, and asecond ceramic green sheet 4 on which a second internal electrode 2 isformed are alternately stacked in a plurality of layers. A raw componentbody is obtained by this stacking step. After the raw component body isfired, first and second external electrodes are formed on opposing firstand second end surfaces of the sintered component body. Thus, the firstand second internal electrodes 1 and 2 led out to the first and secondend surfaces are electrically connected to the first and second externalelectrodes, respectively, and a monolithic ceramic capacitor iscompleted.

In recent years, monolithic ceramic capacitors are steadily decreasingin size, while monolithic ceramic capacitors that can provide highcapacitance are being desired. To meet these demands, it is effective toincrease the effective area occupied by each of the internal electrodes1 and 2 on the stacked ceramic green sheets 3 and 4, that is, theopposing area of the internal electrodes 1 and 2. To increase such aneffective area, it is important to reduce the dimensions of a protectivearea 5 at the side and the dimensions of a protective area 6 at the endillustrated in FIGS. 21A and 21B.

However, reducing the dimensions of the protective area 6 at the endundesirably increases the risk of short-circuiting of the first externalelectrode and the second external electrode via either one of theinternal electrodes 1 and 2. Accordingly, it is appreciated thatconsidering the reliability of the monolithic ceramic capacitor, it ismore preferable to reduce the dimensions of the protective area 5 at theside than to reduce the dimensions of the protective area 6 at the end.

An example of an effective method for reducing the dimensions of theprotective area 5 at the side is described in Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 6-349669. According to the method describedin Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-349669, aplurality of ceramic green sheets on which an internal electrode patternis printed are stacked in layers and compression bonded together toprepare a mother block, and after the mother block is cut into parts ofa predetermined size to extract a plurality of green chips with internalelectrodes exposed on their side surface along which the mother block iscut, these green chips are held by a holder, and in this state, a sidesurface ceramic green sheet is affixed to the side surface of each ofthe green chips to thereby form the protective area at the side.

However, the technique described in Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 6-349669 mentioned above has the followingproblems.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-349669 does notdescribe a specific method as to how the plurality of green chipsobtained by cutting the mother block are held by the holder.

In green chips obtained by cutting the mother block, a plurality ofinternal electrodes with the same polarity are exposed on their endsurface, while all the internal electrodes, that is, a plurality ofinternal electrodes with different polarities are exposed on their sidesurface. Therefore, in handling the green chips, an unwantedshort-circuit may occur between the internal electrodes with differentpolarities unless utmost attention is paid to the handling of their sidesurfaces. In particular, as stacking ceramic green sheets becomethinner, the distance between the internal electrodes with differentpolarities becomes smaller, increasing the risk of a short-circuit. If ashort circuit occurs, a short failure occurs in the case of a monolithicceramic capacitor, for example.

Accordingly, it is important to minimize contact with the side surfaceof green chips. However, in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 6-349669, there is no suggestion of the above-mentionedproblems and, therefore, there is no proposal as to a favorable methodof handling the green chips obtained by cutting the mother block.

Similar problems can be encountered not only when manufacturingmonolithic ceramic capacitors but also when manufacturing monolithicceramic electronic components other than monolithic ceramic capacitors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide amanufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic component thatcan address the above-mentioned problems.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, amanufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic componentincludes the steps of preparing a mother block including a plurality ofceramic green sheets that are stacked on each other, and an internalelectrode pattern arranged along each of a plurality of interfacesbetween the ceramic green sheets, cutting the mother block along a firstcutting line and a second cutting line extending in mutuallyperpendicular or substantially perpendicular directions to obtain aplurality of green chips, the green chips each having a laminatedstructure including a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality ofinternal electrodes that are in a raw state, the internal electrodesbeing exposed on a cut side surface that is produced by cutting alongthe first cutting line, affixing a side surface ceramic green sheet tothe cut side surface to form a raw ceramic protective layer and obtain araw component body that is a component body in a raw state, and firingthe raw component body.

The green chips obtained by the cutting step are arrayed in row andcolumn directions.

The above-mentioned manufacturing method further includes the step of,prior to the affixing step, tumbling the green chips in a state in whichthe green chips arrayed in the row and column directions are spacedapart from each other, to make the cut side surface of each of the greenchips uniformly an open surface, and the affixing step includes the stepof affixing the side surface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surfaceof each of the green chips that has become the open surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, themanufacturing method further includes the step of affixing the greenchips arrayed in the row and column directions onto an adhesive sheethaving expandability, and expanding the adhesive sheet on which thegreen chips have been affixed, so that the green chips arrayed in therow and column directions become spaced apart from each other in thetumbling step.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, amanufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic componentincludes the steps of preparing a mother block, the mother blockincluding a plurality of ceramic green sheets that are stacked, and aninternal electrode pattern arranged along each of a plurality ofinterfaces between the ceramic green sheets, performing first cutting,the first cutting including cutting the mother block along a firstcutting line to obtain a plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies, therod-shaped green block bodies each having a laminated structureincluding a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internalelectrodes that are in a raw state, the internal electrodes beingexposed on a cut side surface that is produced by cutting along thefirst cutting line, affixing a side surface ceramic green sheet to thecut side surface to form a raw ceramic protective layer, performingsecond cutting, the second cutting including cutting each of therod-shaped green block bodies on which the raw ceramic protective layerhas been formed, along a second cutting line extending in a directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first cutting lineto obtain a plurality of raw component bodies that are each a componentbody in a raw state, and firing each of the raw component bodies. Therod-shaped green block bodies obtained by the first cutting step arearrayed in a predetermined direction, the manufacturing method furtherincludes the step of, prior to the affixing step, tumbling therod-shaped green block bodies in a state in which the rod-shaped greenblock bodies arrayed in the predetermined direction are spaced apartfrom each other, to make the cut side surface of each of the rod-shapedgreen block bodies uniformly an open surface, and the affixing stepincludes the step of affixing the side surface ceramic green sheet tothe cut side surface of each of the rod-shaped green block bodies thathas become the open surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, themanufacturing method further includes the step of affixing therod-shaped green block bodies arrayed in the predetermined directiononto an adhesive sheet having expandability, and expanding the adhesivesheet on which the rod-shaped green block bodies have been affixed, sothat the rod-shaped green block bodies arrayed in the predetermineddirection become spaced apart from each other in the tumbling step.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, themanufacturing method further includes the step of applying an adhesivebetween the side surface ceramic green sheet and the cut side surface ofeach of the green chips or the rod-shaped green block bodies.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, theaffixing step includes the steps of placing the side surface ceramicgreen sheet on an affixation elastic body, pressing the cut side surfaceof each of the green chips or the rod-shaped green block bodies againstthe side surface ceramic green sheet with a force that substantiallyelastically deforms the affixation elastic body, and separating each ofthe green chips or the rod-shaped green block bodies from the affixationelastic body in a state in which the side surface ceramic green sheet isstuck to the cut side surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sidesurface ceramic green sheet has dimensions larger than the cut sidesurface of each of the green chips or the rod-shaped green block bodies,and the pressing of the cut side surface of each of the green chips orthe rod-shaped green block bodies against the side surface ceramic greensheet includes punching the side surface ceramic green sheet by an edgeof the cut side surface of each of the green chips or the rod-shapedgreen block bodies.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in a casewhere the side surface ceramic green sheet has dimensions larger thanthe cut side surface of each of the green chips or the rod-shaped greenblock bodies, the manufacturing method further includes the step of,after the above-mentioned affixing step, removing an unnecessary portionof the side surface ceramic green sheet other than a portion that isaffixed to the cut side surface of each of the green chips or therod-shaped green block bodies.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, themanufacturing method further includes the step of thermo-compressionbonding each of the green chips or the rod-shaped green block bodies andthe raw ceramic protective layer together at a temperature of not higherthan about 200° C. to improve their adhesion, after forming the rawceramic protective layer by affixing the side surface ceramic greensheet to the cut side surface of each of the green chips or therod-shaped green block bodies.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, themanufacturing method may further include the step of forming an externalelectrode on a predetermined surface of the component body so as to beelectrically connected to a specific one of the internal electrodes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, amanufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic componentincludes the steps of preparing a mother block, the mother blockincluding a plurality of ceramic green sheets that are stacked, and aninternal electrode pattern arranged along each of a plurality ofinterfaces between the ceramic green sheets, and cutting the motherblock along a first cutting line and a second cutting line extending inmutually perpendicular or substantially perpendicular directions toobtain a plurality of green chips, the green chips each having alaminated structure including a plurality of ceramic layers and aplurality of internal electrodes that are in a raw state, the internalelectrodes being exposed on a cut side surface that is produced bycutting along the first cutting line. The green chips obtained by thecutting step are arrayed in row and column directions, and themanufacturing method further includes the step of, after the cuttingstep, tumbling the green chips in a state in which the green chipsarrayed in the row and column directions are spaced apart from eachother, to make the cut side surface of each of the green chips uniformlyan open surface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention mentionedabove, in handling the green chips arrayed in the row and columndirections or the rod-shaped green block bodies arrayed in thepredetermined direction which are obtained by cutting the mother block,the tumbling step is performed which includes tumbling the green chipsor the rod-shaped green block bodies in a state in which the arrayedgreen chips or rod-shaped green block bodies are spaced apart from eachother, thereby making the cut side surface of each of the green chips orthe rod-shaped green block bodies uniformly an open surface. Thus, it ispossible to reduce the possibility of unwanted external force beingexerted on the cut side surface of the green chip or the rod-shapedgreen block body. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the chances ofshort-circuiting, even when the stacking ceramic green sheets becomethinner and therefore the distance between internal electrodes ofdifferent polarities decreases.

According to the preferred embodiments of the present inventionmentioned above, the affixing step, which includes affixing the sidesurface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surface of the green chipthat has become an open surface to thereby form a raw ceramic protectivelayer, is performed simultaneously for each of a plurality of greenchips arrayed in the row and column directions and whose cut sidesurface is uniformly oriented so as to become an open surface. Thus, asin the case of performing the affixing step for the rod-shaped greenblock body, the affixing step can be implemented efficiently, andvariations in the applied thickness of the raw ceramic protective layeramong the green chips can be suppressed and prevented.

According to the preferred embodiments of the present inventionmentioned above, by applying an adhesive between the side surfaceceramic green sheet and the cut side surface of the green chip or therod-shaped green block body, the adhesion between the side surfaceceramic green sheet and the cut side surface of the green chip or therod-shaped green block body can be enhanced. Therefore, even if aheating step is performed to improve adhesion, the heating temperaturedoes not need to be set very high. Therefore, it is possible to suppressand prevent unwanted deformation of the side surface ceramic green sheetand the green chip or the rod-shaped green block body due to heating.

According to the preferred embodiments of the present inventiondescribed above, after forming the raw ceramic protective layer byaffixing the side surface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surface ofthe green chip or the rod-shaped green block body, if the raw ceramicprotective and the green chip or the rod-shaped green block body arethermo-compression bonded together at a temperature of about 200° C.,for example, the adhesion between the green chip or the rod-shaped greenblock body and the raw ceramic protective layer can be enhanced whilesuppressing and preventing unwanted deformation of the side surfaceceramic green sheet and the green chip or the rod-shaped green blockbody due to heating.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outward appearance of a monolithicceramic capacitor as an example of a monolithic ceramic electroniccomponent obtained by a manufacturing method according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the outward appearance of a componentbody included in the monolithic ceramic capacitor illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outward appearance of a green chipprepared to obtain the component body illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of each of stacking ceramic green sheets which areprepared to obtain the green chip illustrated in FIG. 3 and on which aninternal electrode pattern is formed.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are plan views, enlarged from FIG. 4, illustrating astep of stacking the stacking ceramic green sheets illustrated in FIG. 4while shifting the ceramic green sheets from each other by apredetermined distance.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are respectively a plan view of a plurality of greenchips obtained by cutting a mother block that is obtained by thestacking step illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and a plan viewillustrating a state in which the green chips arrayed in the row andcolumn directions in FIG. 6A have become spaced apart from each other.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views as seen from the direction of the end surfaceof the green chips, illustrating a tumbling step of tumbling the greenchips illustrated in FIG. 6B.

FIG. 8 is a view as seen from the direction of the principal surface ofthe green chips, illustrating an applying step of applying a ceramicpaste to form a raw first ceramic protective layer on a first cut sidesurface of the green chips that has become an open surface as a resultof the tumbling step illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an application plate illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10A to 10C are views as seen from the direction of the end surfaceof the green chips, illustrating an affixing step of affixing a sidesurface ceramic green sheet to the first cut side surface of the greenchips to thereby form a first ceramic protective layer in its raw state.

FIG. 11 is a view as seen from the direction of the end surface of thegreen chips, illustrating a state in which an unnecessary portion of theside surface ceramic green sheet illustrated in FIG. 10C is beingremoved by roll separation.

FIG. 12 is a view as seen from the direction of the end surface of thegreen chips, illustrating a compression bonding step in which theceramic protective layer side of the green chips having the raw firstceramic protective layer formed on the first cut side surface is pressedinto a compression-bonding elastic body.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are views as seen from the direction of the endsurface of the green chips, illustrating a tumbling step of tumbling thegreen chips again after the compression bonding step illustrated in FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a view as seen from the direction of the end surface of thegreen chips, illustrating a state obtained after the tumbling stepillustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in which the green chips are held by asupport base while sticking to an adhesive sheet via the first ceramicprotective layer.

FIG. 15 is a view as seen from the direction of the end surface of rawcomponent bodies that are obtained after performing an adhesive applyingstep, a side surface ceramic green sheet affixing step, and acompression bonding step again in the state illustrated in FIG. 14, theraw component bodies including raw first and second ceramic protectivelayers respectively formed on first and second cut side surfaces of thegreen chips.

FIG. 16 is a view as seen from the direction of the end surface of theraw component bodies, illustrating a step of collecting each rawcomponent body from the adhesive sheet illustrated in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of an application plate according to a firstmodification, illustrating a second preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of an application plate according to a secondmodification, illustrating a third preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the outward appearance of a green chip,illustrating a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are plan views of ceramic green sheets which areprepared to obtain the green chip illustrated in FIG. 19 and on which aninternal electrode pattern is formed.

FIGS. 21A and 21B are respectively a plan view of a first ceramic greensheet on which a first internal electrode is formed, and a plan view ofa second ceramic green sheet on which a second internal electrode isformed, illustrating a typical manufacturing method for a monolithicceramic capacitor according to the related art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention aredescribed, with a monolithic ceramic capacitor taken as a non-limitingexample of monolithic ceramic electronic component.

FIGS. 1 to 16 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a monolithic ceramic capacitor 11includes a component body 12. The component body 12 is illustratedsingly in FIG. 2. The component body 12 preferably has a rectangularparallelepiped or substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapeincluding a pair of opposing principal surfaces 13 and 14, a pair ofopposing side surfaces 15 and 16, and a pair of opposing first andsecond end surfaces 17 and 18.

In describing the component body 12 in detail, reference is also made toFIG. 3 illustrating the outward appearance of a green chip 19 preparedto obtain the component body 12. As will be appreciated from adescription given later, the component body 12 corresponds to acomponent body obtained by forming a pair of first and second ceramicprotective layers 22 and 23 in their raw state on a pair of opposingfirst and second side surfaces (hereinafter, referred to as “cut sidesurfaces”) 20 and 21 of the green chip 19 illustrated in FIG. 3 and thenfiring the resulting green chip 19. In the following description, theportion of the fired component body 12 which is derived from the greenchip 19 is referred to as a laminate section 24.

The laminate section 24 in the component body 12 has a laminatedstructure including a plurality of ceramic layers 25 extending along thedirection of the principal surfaces 13 and 14 and stacked in a directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the principal surfaces13 and 14, and a plurality of pairs of first and second internalelectrodes 26 and 27 each arranged along the interface between theceramic layers 25. Also, the component body 12 includes the pair ofceramic protective layers 22 and 23 that are placed on the cut sidesurfaces 20 and 21 of the laminate section 24 so as to provide thecomponent body 12 with its side surfaces 15 and 16, respectively. Theceramic protective layers 22 and 23 preferably have the same thickness.

While in FIG. 1 and the like the boundary between the laminate section24 and each of the ceramic protective layers 22 and 23 is depictedclearly, the boundary is depicted clearly for the convenience ofdescription. In actuality, such a boundary does not appear clearly.

The first and second internal electrodes 26 and 27 oppose each other viaeach of the ceramic layers 25. This opposing arrangement causeselectrical characteristics to manifest themselves. That is, acapacitance is generated in the case of the monolithic ceramic capacitor11.

The first internal electrodes 26 include an exposed end that is exposedon the first end surface 17 of the component body 12, and the secondinternal electrodes 27 include an exposed end that is exposed on thesecond end surface 18 of the component body 12. However, the internalelectrodes 26 and 27 are not exposed on the side surfaces 15 and 16 ofthe component body 12 because the ceramic protective layers 22 and 23described above are placed on these end surfaces.

The monolithic ceramic capacitor 11 further includes external electrodes28 and 29. The external electrodes 28 and 29 are arranged on at leastthe pair of end surfaces 17 and 18 of the component body 12 so as to beelectrically connected to the exposed ends of the internal electrodes 26and 27, respectively.

As the conductive material for the internal electrodes 26 and 27, forexample, Ni, Cu, Ag, Pd, Ag—Pd alloy, Au, other suitable material maypreferably be used.

As the ceramic material forming the ceramic layers 25 and the ceramicprotective layers 22 and 23, for example, a dielectric ceramiccontaining BaTiO₃, CaTiO₃, SrTiO₃, CaZrO₃, or other suitable material asits principal component may preferably be used.

Preferably, at least the principal component of the ceramic materialforming the ceramic protective layers 22 and 23 is the same as that ofthe ceramic material used to form the ceramic layers 25. In this case,most preferably, a ceramic material of the same composition is used forboth the ceramic layers 25 and the ceramic protective layers 22 and 23.

The present invention is also applicable to a monolithic ceramicelectronic component other than a monolithic ceramic capacitor. In acase where the monolithic ceramic electronic component is apiezoelectric component, a piezoelectric ceramic such as a PZT ceramicmay preferably be used, and in a case where the monolithic ceramicelectronic component is a thermistor, a semiconductor ceramic such as aspinel ceramic may preferably be used, for example.

As described above, the external electrodes 28 and 29 are provided on atleast the pair of end surfaces 17 and 18 of the component body 12. Inthis preferred embodiment, the external electrodes 28 and 29 include aportion that goes around and extends over a portion of each of theprincipal surfaces 13 and 14 and the side surfaces 15 and 16.

Although not illustrated, the external electrodes 28 and 29 preferablyinclude a primary coating and a plating layer provided on the primarycoating. As the conductive material for the primary coating, forexample, Cu, Ni, Ag, Pd, Ag—Pd alloy, Au, or other suitable material maypreferably be used. The primary coating may be formed either by using aco-firing method that applies a conductive paste onto the component body12 that has not been fired yet and firing the conductive pastesimultaneously with the component body 12, or by using a post-firingmethod that applies and fires a conductive paste onto the component body12 that has already been fired. Alternatively, the primary coating maybe formed directly by plating, or may be formed by curing conductiveresin including thermosetting resin.

The plating layer formed on the primary coating is preferably of atwo-layer structure including Ni-plating and Sn-plating on top of theNi-plating.

Next, referring further to FIGS. 4 to 16, a manufacturing method for themonolithic ceramic capacitor 11 described above is described.

First, as partially illustrated in FIG. 4, each of stacking ceramicgreen sheets 31 that are to become the ceramic layers 25 are prepared.More specifically, a ceramic slurry containing ceramic powder, a binder,and a solvent is prepared, and as this ceramic slurry is shaped into asheet form on a carrier film (not illustrated) by using a die coater, agravure coater, a micro gravure coater, or other suitable device, thestacking ceramic green sheets 31 are obtained. The thickness of thestacking ceramic green sheets 31 is preferably not more than about 3 μm,for example.

Next, as similarly illustrated in FIG. 4, a conductive paste is printedwith a predetermined pattern on the stacking ceramic green sheets 31. Asa result, the stacking ceramic green sheets 31 each provided with aninternal electrode pattern 32 that is to become each of the internalelectrodes 26 and 27 are obtained. More specifically, a plurality ofrows of strip-shaped internal electrode patterns 32 are formed on thestacking ceramic green sheets 31. The thickness of the internalelectrode pattern 32 is preferably not more than about 1.5 μm, forexample.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, first cutting lines 33 along a first direction thatis the longitudinal direction (the horizontal direction in FIGS. 5A and5B) in which the strip-shaped internal electrode pattern 32 extends, andsecond cutting lines 34 along a second direction that is the widthdirection (the vertical direction in FIGS. 5A and 5B) perpendicular orsubstantially perpendicular to the cutting lines 33 are partiallyillustrated. The strip-shaped internal electrode pattern 32 has such ashape that two internal electrodes 26 and 27 coupled to each otherthrough their lead sections are arranged contiguously along thelongitudinal direction. FIGS. 5A and 5B are enlarged from FIG. 4.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a predetermined number of thestacking ceramic green sheets 31 with the internal electrode pattern 32formed as described above are stacked with a shift of a predetermineddistance, that is, half the widthwise dimension of the internalelectrode pattern 32, along the width direction, and a predeterminednumber of stacking ceramic green sheets on which no conductive paste isprinted and which serve as the outer layers are stacked on top andbottom of the resulting stack. Because the cutting lines 33 and 34 areillustrated in both FIGS. 5A and 5B, how to shift the stacking ceramicgreen sheets 31 when stacking can be easily understood by comparisonbetween FIGS. 5A and 5B.

As a result of the stacking step described above, a mother block 35illustrated in FIG. 6A is obtained. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the uppermostinternal electrode pattern 32 or internal electrode 26 located insidethe mother block 35 is indicated by broken lines.

Next, the mother block 35 is pressed in the stacking direction by amethod such as isostatic pressing.

Next, the mother block 35 is cut along the first cutting lines 34 andthe second cutting lines 33 that are perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to each other. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, aplurality of green chips 19 being arrayed in the row and columndirections are obtained. Dicing, force-cutting, laser cutting, or othersuitable process may be preferably used for this cutting. In drawingssuch as FIG. 6A, for reasons related to the creation of the drawings, asingle mother block 35 is depicted as being dimensioned such that sixgreen chips 19 are extracted from the mother block 35. However, inactuality, the mother block 35 is dimensioned such that more green chips19 are extracted.

As illustrated singly in FIG. 3, each of the green chips 19 has alaminated structure including the plurality of ceramic layers 25 and theplurality of internal electrodes 26 and 27 which are in their raw state.The cut side surfaces 20 and 21 of the green chips 19 are surfaces thatare produced by cutting along the first cutting lines 34, and the endsurfaces 36 and 37 are surfaces that are produced by cutting along thesecond cutting lines 33. All of the internal electrodes 26 and 27 areexposed on the cut side surfaces 20 and 21. Only the first internalelectrodes 26 are exposed on the end surface 36, and only the secondinternal electrodes 27 are exposed on the other end surface 37.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the green chips 19 arrayed in the row andcolumn directions are affixed onto an adhesive sheet 38 havingexpandability. Then, the adhesive sheet 38 is expanded as indicated byan arrow 39 by an expander (not illustrated). As a result, asillustrated in FIG. 6B, the green chips 19 arrayed in the row and columndirections become spaced apart from each other.

At this time, the adhesive sheet 38 is expanded to an extent that allowsthe green chips 19 to be smoothly tumbled without hitting each other inthe tumbling step that will be performed later. Although depending onthe dimensions of the green chips 19, as an example, the adhesive sheet38 is expanded to about 160% of the original dimensions.

As the adhesive sheet 38 mentioned above, for example, an adhesive sheetmade of polyvinyl chloride resin whose adhesive layer is given by anacrylic adhesive is used. The adhesive sheet 38 has such a plasticitythat the adhesive sheet 38 does not completely return to the originalshape once expanded. Therefore, handling of the adhesive sheet 38 thathas been expanded is easy. For example, after the green chips 19 areobtained by cutting the mother block 35, there is a possibility that thecut side surfaces 20 and 21 or end surfaces 36 and 37 of the adjacentgreen chips 19 adhere to each other again owing to the binder includedin the green chips 19. However, since the adhesive sheet 38 does notcompletely return to the original shape once expanded, it is possible toavoid a situation where the cut side surfaces 20 and 21 or the endsurfaces 36 and 37 come into contact with and therefore adhere to eachother again.

Next, a tumbling step is performed. In the tumbling step, the greenchips 19 are tumbled to thereby make the first cut side surface 20 ofeach of the green chips 19 uniformly an open surface.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the green chips 19 are placed ona support base 40 together with the adhesive sheet 38. On the otherhand, a tumbling action plate 41 is placed so as to be able to act onthe green chips 19 from above. The support base 40 and the tumblingaction plate 41 are preferably made of silicone rubber.

Next, the support base 40 is moved in the direction of an arrow 42 withrespect to the tumbling action plate 41. As a result, as illustrated inFIG. 7B, the green chips 19 are rotated by 90 degrees all at once,resulting in a state in which their first cut side surface 20 facesupwards. When the tumbling action plate 41 is removed in this state, thefirst cut side surface 20 becomes an open surface.

To perform the above-mentioned tumbling of the green chips 19 moresmoothly, the tumbling operation may be performed after transferring thegreen chips 19 from the adhesive sheet 38 onto an adhesive rubber sheet.In this case, it is preferable that the adhesive rubber sheet have anelastic coefficient of not more than about 50 MPa and a thickness of notmore than about 5 mm, for example.

Next, an adhesive applying step is performed as required as illustratedin FIG. 8. In the adhesive applying step, an adhesive 43 is applied tothe first cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19 that has become anopen surface. The adhesive 43 may be an adhesive made of a singlecomponent, or may be an adhesive obtained by dissolving resin in asolvent. Further, the adhesive 43 may be a paste in which ceramicparticles are dispersed.

For application of the adhesive 43, an application plate 44 illustratedin FIGS. 8 and 9 is prepared. The application plate 44 includes anapplication surface 45 that abuts against the cut side surface 20 of thegreen chips 19. The application surface is provided with a recess 46 tohold the adhesive 43. The recess 46 is filled with the adhesive 43. Inthis preferred embodiment, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 9, the recess46 is preferably defined by a plurality of grooves.

In performing the adhesive applying step, as illustrated in FIG. 8, thefollowing steps are performed: abutting the application surface 45 ofthe application plate 44 against the cut side surface 20 of the greenchips 19, and bringing the adhesive 43 filled in the recess 46 intocontact with the cut side surface 20; and transferring the adhesive 43filled in the recess 46 to the cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19while separating the green chips 19 from the application plate 44. Inthis case, capillary action or the like also works so that the adhesive43 is applied to the entire cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19.On the other hand, the adhesive 43 is not applied to surfaces of thegreen chips 19 other than the cut side surface 20. The thickness of theadhesive 43 applied can be adjusted by adjusting the width, depth, orarrangement pitch of the recess 46, the viscosity of the adhesive 43,and so on.

Next, an affixing step is performed as required as illustrated in FIGS.10A to 10C. In the affixing step, a side surface ceramic green sheet 47is applied to the first cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19 thathas become an open surface to thereby form the first ceramic protectivelayer 22 in its raw state. As in the case of the stacking ceramic greensheets 31 previously described, the side surface ceramic green sheet 47is also obtained by preparing a ceramic slurry containing ceramicpowder, a binder, and a solvent, and shaping this ceramic slurry into asheet form on a carrier film (not illustrated) by using a die coater, agravure coater, a micro gravure coater, or other suitable device.

More specifically, first, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the side surfaceceramic green sheet 47 is placed so as to face the first cut sidesurface 20 of the green chips 19. The side surface ceramic green sheet47 is placed on an affixation elastic body 48 used for the purpose ofaffixation, and the affixation elastic body 48 is placed on a stationarytable 49. Preferably, the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 is notbacked with a carrier film at this point. The side surface ceramic greensheet 47 has dimensions larger than the first cut side surface 20 of thegreen chips 19.

The aforementioned adhesive application may not be performed on thegreen chips 19 but may instead be performed on the side surface ceramicgreen sheet 47 by using, for example, a spraying method. Of course, theadhesive may be applied to both the green chips 19 and the side surfaceceramic green sheet 47.

Next, the green chips 19 are brought into proximity with the sidesurface ceramic green sheet 47, and as illustrated in FIG. 10B, thefirst cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19 is pressed against theside surface ceramic green sheet 47 with such a force that substantiallyelastically deforms the affixation elastic body 48. At this time,preferably, by causing a shearing force to be exerted from the edge ofthe cut side surface 20 of each of the green chips 19, portions of theside surface ceramic green sheet 47 corresponding to the dimensions ofthe cut side surface 19 are punched out. Although heating is notparticularly required in this punching process, in a case where heatingis performed, to prevent the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 fromcrushing without being punched, the heating temperature is set to atemperature not higher than the transition point at which the sidesurface ceramic green sheet 47 softens.

The above-mentioned shearing force is produced as the green chips 19 arepressed into the affixation elastic body 48. At this time, the edgelines of the green chips 19 are in the same state as that after thecutting step illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B is finished, that is, notchamfered by barrel polishing or the like. Thus, the edge lines arepointed sharply, which makes it possible to concentrate the shearingforce on the portions of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 to bepunched out. Therefore, punching of the side surface ceramic green sheet47 can be performed smoothly.

As previously mentioned, punching of the side surface ceramic greensheet 47 is easier if the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 is notbacked with a carrier film. In this case, the thickness of the sidesurface ceramic green sheet 47 is preferably about 10 μm to about 50 μm,for example. This is because if its thickness is less than about 10 μm,the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 becomes too weak owing to theabsence of backing with a carrier film, which makes its handlingdifficult. On the other hand, a thickness exceeding about 50 μm makespunching of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 difficult.

To ensure that the above-mentioned punching be performed more smoothly,it is preferable that the breaking strength of the side surface ceramicgreen sheet 47 be not lower than about 1 MPa and not higher than about50 MPa, and its breaking strain be not more than about 50%, for example.Also, the amount of pressing of the green chips 19 into the affixationelastic body 48 is preferably not more than half the distance betweenthe green chips 19 that are adjacent to each other with respect to thethickness direction (the horizontal direction in FIGS. 10A to 10C) ofthe green chips 19. Making this amount of pressing too large can damagethe green chips 19.

Also, the affixation elastic body 48 preferably has an elasticcoefficient of not more than about 50 MPa, and a thickness of not morethan about 5 mm, for example. The lower the elastic coefficient of theside surface ceramic green sheet 47 with respect to the affixationelastic body 48, the more likely a shearing force acts on the edgeportion of the cut side surface 20 of the green chips 19, thereby makingit possible to suppress chipping or burring of the punched side surfaceceramic green sheet 47 or cracking in the edge portion of the cut edgesurface 20 of the green chips 19.

When punching the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 by the green chips19, rather than pressing the green chips 19 only once, the green chips19 may be repeatedly pressed a plurality of times within the elasticdeformation range of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47. Thismethod can suppress and prevent plastic deformation of the side surfaceceramic green sheet 47, thereby reducing the compressing force exertedon the green chips 19 by an unnecessary portion 47 a of the side surfaceceramic green sheet 47 which remains after the punching. This reductionin compressing force facilitates removal of the unnecessary portion 47 aof the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 in the step performed next,that is, the step of separating the green chips 19 from the affixationelastic body 48 illustrated in FIG. 10C.

In the step of affixing the side surface ceramic green sheet 47, theadhesion between the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 and the greenchips 19 may be enhanced by performing heating to an extent that doesnot cause unwanted deformation resulting from increased plasticity ofthe side surface ceramic green sheet 47.

To facilitate handling of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47, orthe unnecessary portion 47 a of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47other than the portion affixed to the green chips 19 which will becomethe ceramic protective layer 22, the side surface ceramic green sheet 47may be handled in a state in which the side surface ceramic green sheet47 is backed with a carrier film.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, in the state in which the portion ofthe side surface ceramic green sheet 47 that has become the ceramicprotective layer 22 is adhered to the first cut side surface 20, thegreen chips 19 are separated from the affixation elastic body 48. Atthis time, the unnecessary portion 47 a of the side surface ceramicgreen sheet 47 which remains after the punching is left on theaffixation elastic body 48 side. To leave the unnecessary portion 47 aon the affixation elastic body 48 side in this way, it is necessary tofix the unnecessary portion 47 a to the affixation elastic body 48. Thisfixing may be done by sticking the entire unnecessary portion 47 a,fixing the unnecessary portion 47 a only in the surrounding portion ofthe area where the green chips 19 are arrayed, or fixing the unnecessaryportion 47 a only in the surrounding portion of each individual one ofthe green chips 19.

To facilitate removal of the unnecessary portion 47 a of the sidesurface ceramic green sheet 47 illustrated in FIG. 10C, roll separationas illustrated in FIG. 11 may be used. That is, the necessary portion 47a is removed from the green chips 19 while having its end wound into aroll.

In this way, the green chips 19 supported by the support base 40 via theadhesive sheet 38 have the raw first ceramic protective layer 22 formedon their first cut side surface 20.

Rather than having dimensions larger than the cut side surface 20 of thegreen chips 19, the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 may be cut intothe substantially same dimensions as the cut side surface 20 in advancebefore performing the affixing step.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12, a compression-bonding elastic body 52used for the purpose of compression bonding which is held on astationary table 51 is prepared. As described above, after the raw firstceramic protective layer 22 is formed on the first cut side surface 20,a compression bonding step is performed to improve the adhesion betweenthe green chips 19 and the raw ceramic protective layer 22. In thecompression bonding step, the ceramic protective layer 22 side of thegreen chips 19 is pressed into the compression-bonding elastic body 52.At this time, to prevent unwanted deformation, cracks, or the like fromoccurring in the green chips 19 and the side surface ceramic green sheet47, heating is performed at a temperature of not higher than about 200°C., preferably at a temperature not higher than the transition point atwhich the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 softens. Preferably, thecompression-bonding elastic body 52 has an elastic coefficient thatmakes the compression-bonding elastic body 52 harder than the sidesurface ceramic green sheet 47 and softer than the green chips 19, forexample, an elastic coefficient of not higher than about 50 MPa, and hasa thickness of not more than about 5 mm.

Next, a tumbling step similar to the step described above with referenceto FIGS. 7A and 7B is performed. That is, the green chips 19 are tumbledto thereby uniformly make the second cut side surface 21 of each of thegreen chips 19 an open surface.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, the tumbling action plate 41 isplaced so as to be able to act on the green chips 19 supported by thesupport base 40 via the adhesive sheet 38 from above.

Next, the support base 40 is moved in the direction of an arrow 53 withrespect to the tumbling action plate 41. As a result, rotating the greenchips 19 all at once by 90 degrees is repeated twice, resulting in astate as illustrated in FIG. 13B in which the second cut side surface 21of each of the green chips 19 faces upwards. When the tumbling actionplate 41 is removed in this state, the second cut side surface 21becomes an open surface.

FIG. 14 illustrates a state obtained after the step described above withreference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. That is, FIG. 14 illustrates a state inwhich the green chips 19 are held by the support base 40 while stickingto the adhesive sheet 38 via the first ceramic protective layer 22, withthe second cut side 21 of the green chips 19 facing downwards.

In the state illustrated in FIG. 14, the adhesive applying step, theside surface ceramic green sheet affixing step, and the compressionbonding step described above are performed for the second cut sidesurface 21 of the green chips 19. As a result, as illustrated in FIG.15, a plurality of raw component bodies 12 are obtained which are in astate in which, with the green chips 19 being supported by the supportbase 40 via the adhesive sheet 38, the first and second ceramicprotective layers 22 and 23 in their raw state are formed on the firstand second cut side surfaces 20 and 21 of the green chips 19,respectively, as a result of the two affixing steps described above.

The compression bonding step may be performed only after forming thesecond ceramic protective layer 23, so that thermo-compression bondingis performed at the same time for both the first and second ceramicprotective layers 22 and 23.

Next, after the raw component bodies 12 are detached from the supportbase 40 together with the adhesive sheet 38, as illustrated in FIG. 16,each of the raw component bodies 12 is collected by peeling the adhesivesheet 38 from the raw component body 12. In this step, a knife edge 54is pressed against the adhesive sheet 38 from above while making the rawcomponent body 12 hang down from the adhesive sheet 38, thereby bendingthe adhesive sheet 38 so as to protrude downwards. As the adhesive sheet38 is bent, the raw component body 12 comes off the adhesive sheet 38,drops downwards, and is collected.

Next, the raw component body 12 is fired. Although also depending on theceramic material included in the stacking ceramic green sheets 31 andthe ceramic protective layers 22 and 23 or the metallic materialincluded in the internal electrodes 26 and 27, the firing temperature isselected within the range of about 900° C. to 1300° C., for example. Ifthe thickness of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 is, forexample, about 25 μm to about 40 μm before firing, after firing, thethickness of the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 shrinks to about 20μm to about 30 μm.

Next, by applying and firing a conductive paste onto the both endsurfaces 17 and 18 of the component body 12 that has been fired, andfurther applying plating as required, the external electrodes 28 and 29are formed. It is also possible to apply a conductive paste to thecomponent body 12 in its raw state, and perform firing of the conductivepaste simultaneously with firing of the raw component body 12.

In this way, the monolithic ceramic capacitor 11 illustrated in FIG. 1is completed.

While the present invention has been described above in association witha specific preferred embodiment, other various modifications arepossible within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the following modifications are also possible for theapplication plate 44 illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIGS. 17 and 18illustrate first and second modifications of the application plate,respectively. In FIGS. 17 and 18, elements corresponding to the elementsillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 are denoted by the same symbols, and arepetitive description is omitted.

An application plate 44 a illustrated in FIG. 17 includes an applicationsurface 45 that abuts against the cut side surface of the green chips.The application surface 45 is provided with a plurality of recesses 46having, for example, a circular plane shape. The plurality of recesses46 are distributed at substantially equal intervals across theapplication surface 45. The recesses 46 are filled with the adhesive 43.

An application plate 44 b illustrated in FIG. 18 includes an applicationsurface 45 that abuts against the cut side surface of the green chips.The application surface 45 is defined by the top surface of a pluralityof protrusions having, for example, a circular plane shape. Theprotrusions are distributed in the plane direction of the applicationplate 44 b. The portion other than the protrusions serves as a recess46. The recess 46 is filled with the adhesive 43.

The internal electrodes and the internal electrode pattern can be alsomodified as follows, for example. FIG. 19 is a perspective viewcorresponding to FIG. 3, illustrating the outward appearance of a greenchip 19 a. FIGS. 20A and 20B are plan views corresponding to FIGS. 5Aand 5B, illustrating stacking ceramic green sheets 31 a on which aninternal electrode pattern 32 a is formed. The stacking ceramic greensheets 31 a are prepared to obtain the green chip 19 a illustrated inFIG. 19.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the green chip 19 a has a laminated structureincluding a plurality of ceramic layers 25 a and a plurality of firstand second internal electrodes 26 a and 27 a which are in a raw state.The first and second internal electrode 26 a and 27 a are arrangedalternately in the stacking direction.

On the other hand, as illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the internalelectrode pattern 32 a formed on the stacking ceramic green sheets 31 apreferably has a meshed configuration, and preferably has a form suchthat the portion to become an opposing section as the major portion ofthe internal electrodes 26 a, and the portion to become an opposingsection as the major portion of the internal electrodes 27 a arearranged contiguously while being alternately connected in the verticaldirection.

FIGS. 20A and 20B illustrate first cutting lines 34 a along a firstdirection, that is, the horizontal direction, and second cutting lines33 a along a second direction perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to the first direction, that is, the vertical direction.In the green chip 19 a mentioned above, cut side surfaces 20 a and 21 aare surfaces that are produced by cutting along the first cutting lines34 a, and end surfaces 36 a and 37 a are surfaces that are produced bycutting along the second cutting lines 33 a. All of the internalelectrodes 26 a and 27 a are exposed on the cut side surfaces 20 a and21 a. Only the first internal electrodes 26 a are exposed on the endsurface 36 a, and only the second internal electrodes 27 a are exposedon the other end surface 37 a.

In the meshed internal electrode pattern 32 a illustrated in FIGS. 20Aand 20B, perforations 65 where no internal electrode pattern is to beformed are arranged in a staggered manner. The perforations 65preferably have an octagonal shape that is elongated in the verticaldirection. The portion to become the lead section for each of theinternal electrodes 26 a and 27 a is located between the perforations 65that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction.

In stacking the stacking ceramic green sheets 31 a, as illustrated inFIGS. 20A and 20B, the stacking ceramic green sheets 31 a are stackedwith a shift so that their internal electrode patterns 32 a are shiftedfrom each other in the horizontal direction by a distance correspondingto the horizontal spacing of the perforations 65.

A mother block obtained by the above-mentioned stacking is cut along thecutting lines 33 a and 34 a illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B, and thegreen chip 19 a as illustrated in FIG. 19 is obtained. Each of thesecond cutting lines 33 a is located so as to divide the perforations 65in halves in the horizontal direction, and the first cutting lines 34 aare located in such a way that two cutting lines 34 a cross a singleperforation 65.

In the preferred embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 19and FIGS. 20A and 20B, the lead section of each of the internalelectrodes 26 a and 27 a is narrower in width than the opposing sectionof each of the internal electrodes 26 a and 27 a, and extends with apredetermined width. The area of the opposing section that is contiguousto the lead section gradually decreases in width so as to becomesubstantially equal to the width of the lead section.

In the above-mentioned preferred embodiment, by modifying the shape ofthe perforations 65, the shape of the lead section of each of theinternal electrodes 26 a and 27 a, and the shape of the end of theopposing section that is contiguous to the lead section can be modifiedin various ways. For example, it is also possible to modify the shape ofthe perforations 65 to be a rectangle.

In the aforementioned preferred embodiment, after the green chips 19 areobtained from the mother block 35 by cutting the mother block 35 alongeach of the cutting lines 33 and 34 illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, theside surface ceramic green sheet 47 is applied to the cut side surfaces20 and 21. This step can be also modified as follows.

That is, a first cutting step is performed first. In the first cuttingstep, after the mother block 35 is obtained, the mother block 35 is cutonly along the first cutting lines 34 illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B tothereby obtain a plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies, with theinternal electrodes 26 and 27 being exposed on the cut side surfaces 20and 21 that are produced by cutting along the first cutting lines 34.

Next, an affixing step and a tumbling step that are substantially thesame as the affixing step and the tumbling step previously mentionedwith reference to FIGS. 7A to 15 are performed for the rod-shaped greenblock bodies. As a result, the side surface ceramic green sheet 47 isaffixed to the cut side surfaces 20 and 21, and the ceramic protectivelayers 22 and 23 in their raw state are formed on the rod-shaped greenblock bodies.

Next, a second cutting step is performed. In the second cutting step,each of the rod-shaped green block bodies on which the raw ceramicprotective layers 22 and 23 have been formed is cut along the secondcutting lines 33 perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to theabove-mentioned first direction, thereby obtaining a plurality of rawcomponent bodies 12.

Thereafter, as in the aforementioned preferred embodiment, each of theraw component bodies 12 is fired, and the same steps as those mentionedabove are subsequently performed, thereby completing the monolithicceramic capacitor 11.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramicelectronic component, comprising the steps of: preparing a mother blockincluding a plurality of ceramic green sheets that are stacked on eachother, and an internal electrode pattern arranged along each of aplurality of interfaces between the ceramic green sheets; performing afirst cutting including cutting the mother block along a first cuttingline to obtain a plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies, therod-shaped green block bodies each having a laminated structureincluding a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internalelectrodes that are in a raw state, the internal electrodes beingexposed on a cut side surface that is produced by the first cuttingalong the first cutting line; affixing a side surface ceramic greensheet to the cut side surface to form a raw ceramic protective layer ina state in which the side surface ceramic green sheet which is notbacked with a carrier film is placed on an affixation elastic body;performing a second cutting including cutting each of the rod-shapedgreen block bodies along a second cutting line extending in a directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first cutting lineto obtain a plurality of raw component bodies that are each a componentbody in a raw state; and firing each of the plurality of raw componentbodies; wherein the affixing step includes the steps of: placing theside surface ceramic green sheet on the affixation elastic body;pressing the cut side surface against the side surface ceramic greensheet with a force that substantially elastically deforms the affixationelastic body; and separating each of the plurality of raw componentbodies or the plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies from theaffixation elastic body in a state in which the side surface ceramicgreen sheet is stuck to the cut side surface.
 2. The manufacturingmethod for a monolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim1, wherein: the affixing step is performed prior to the second cuttingstep.
 3. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electroniccomponent according to claim 1, wherein: the affixing step is performedafter the second cutting step.
 4. The manufacturing method for amonolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, furthercomprising the step of: affixing the plurality of raw component bodiesor the plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies onto an adhesive sheethaving expandability, and expanding the adhesive sheet on which theplurality of raw component bodies or the plurality of rod-shaped greenblock bodies have been affixed, so that the plurality of raw componentbodies or the plurality of rod-shaped green block bodies become spacedapart from each other.
 5. The manufacturing method for a monolithicceramic electronic component according to claim 1, further comprisingthe step of applying an adhesive between the side surface ceramic greensheet and the cut side surface.
 6. The manufacturing method for amonolithic ceramic electronic component according to claim 1, wherein:the side surface ceramic green sheet has dimensions larger than the cutside surface; and the step of pressing the cut side surface against theside surface ceramic green sheet includes the step of punching the sidesurface ceramic green sheet using an edge of the cut side surface. 7.The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 1, wherein: the side surface ceramic green sheet hasdimensions larger than the cut side surface; and the manufacturingmethod further comprises the step of, after the affixing step, removingan unnecessary portion of the side surface ceramic green sheet otherthan a portion that is affixed to the cut side surface.
 8. Themanufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electronic componentaccording to claim 1, further comprising the step of thermo-compressionbonding each of the plurality of raw component bodies or the pluralityof rod-shaped green block bodies and the raw ceramic protective layertogether at a temperature of not higher than about 200° C. to improveadhesion thereof, after forming the raw ceramic protective layer byaffixing the side surface ceramic green sheet to the cut side surface.9. The manufacturing method for a monolithic ceramic electroniccomponent according to claim 1, further comprising the step of formingan external electrode on a predetermined surface of the component bodyso as to be electrically connected to a specific one of the internalelectrodes.